Spinning head



Jan. 2, 1951 J. MOON 2,536,304

SPINNING HEAD Filed Jan. 12, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 m I Q ill IN VENTOR (72/1455 Moo/V ATTORNEY J. MOON SPINNING HEAD Jan. 2, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 12, 1946 INVENTOR I. r u IIIIIIIIIA" (fin 15.5 Moo/v ATTORNEY Jan. 2, 1951 J, MOON 2,536,304

SPINNING HEAD Filed Jan. 12, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 MIII I,

Ilm f JA MES Moo/v INVENTOR ATTORNEY be employed for drilling bore holes from an iniand Patented Jan. 2, 1951 SPINNING HEAD James Moon, Altadena, Calif., assignor to Signal Oil and Gas Company, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application January 12, 1946, Serial No. 640,720

Claims.

This invention relates to a drilling device suitable for use in drilling bore holes in the earth for production of oil, gas, Water, sulfur, and other fluids from the earth. The drilling machine may tial vertical direction or from an initial horizontal direction, and also for th drilling of curved bores from either initial direction.

My invention will be better understood by reference to the drawing, showing a preferred embodiment of my invention, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of my drilling machine with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged end view of Fig. 1, the yoke assembly being shown in the direction of line 22 but omitting the frame;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3--3 Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 Fig. 2 omitting the yoke mounting;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 55-45 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a section taken on line 1-1 of Fig.1.

In Fig. l the drilling machine is mounted upon the supports I, suitably braced and positioned on a foundation and mud-receiving system at the desired well site. Yoke 2 is mounted on wheels 3 and travels on suitable guides 4 in the supports on each side of the yoke. The yoke is moved by ving on tracks l4. Two-way slips l5 and I5 are mounted on the yoke I2 and travel therewith. A stationary holding slip I8 is mounted on cross beam l'l. Slips |5, l6, and H are employed for running casing l9, and slips for holding the drill pipe 20 at the end of which is attached the conventional earth boring drill 2|, such as is used in bore hole drilling.

The spinning and drilling head 1 is mounted on the frame of the yoke 2 by bolts 22. The housing 23 carries a shaft 24 mounted in suitable bearings 25 and carrying a gear 26. The gear 26a is bolted to a ring 21 carrying a cylindro-conical flange or hub formed of conical flange or hub 28 Y terminating in a cylindrical rim 29. Th conical wall is slotted at 30. In each slot 3|] is positioned a slidable key 3| formed with a flange 32 to en- Mounted in the conical section of 28 is a plurality (shown as four) of wedge slips 31 carrying a gripping sleeve 38 having a cylindrical serrated inner surface to engage the pipe. The slides 3| are bolted to the slips 3? by means of bolts 39. The end of the slips bear against the spring 19 mounted in the recess Gil formed in the ring 21. The inner wall of the cylindrical sleeve 29 carries splines Mi in which the split collar, formed of semi-cylindrical sections, 4| and Ma, is set by means of mating female spline member 42 formed in the exterior wall thereof. A spring lock 43 is set in bores formed in the wall of 29. The spring lock is composed of spring 44 and ball 45 which sets in a detent 46 in the exterior wall of the collar 4|. The bore is closed by a plug 41. A plurality of such locks may be employed.

Each half of the collar is connected by means of links 48 to each of two slips 3'! by pins 49 and 59 on which the links may pivot.

The cylindro-conical members (35, 28, and 4| are mounted in thrust bearings 5| and 52 and in roller bearings 53. The cylindrical sleeves 4| and 4m are grooved at 55 and carry a split clamping ring 56 which holds the cylindrical sections in place by means of ears 51 and bolts 58. The ring 56 carries pins 59. A shifting fork 6i) engages the pin 59 by means of slots 6|. The fork 69 is connected to a lever 64 and pivoted at 62 on bracket 63. The lever 64 is operated by a hydraulic jack 65 by means of a pivot connection 66 to the piston rod 61. I

The gear 25 is driven by a hydraulic motor 68 or by an electrical motor positioned in its place and connected to the shaft 24.

A suitable hydraulic motor 68 having the required power to operate the slips is such as is described in United States Patent No. 2,320,727 and No. 2,313,407. It will be observed that the slips may be advanced and retracted to move them into pipe-gripping position or to move them from the pipe-gripping position independently of the rotation of the ring gear. In this fashion the pressure applied 0n the slips is controllable so that the pipe is not damaged. This also permits of the use of the head with differently sized pipe.

To employ the spinning head as a mechanism for unscrewing drill pipe, any rotary mechanism which may be mounted on the yoke 2 and employed for rotating the pipe during drilling (as, for example, such as is described in my co-pending application Serial No. 633,934, filed December 10, 1945) is removedfrom the yoke 2. The spinning head 1 is bolted in its place on yoke 2 by means of bolts 22. The hydraulic jack 65 is operated to pull down the rod 61 whereupon the shifting fork will cause the rings 4| and Ma to lift the slips 3'! and'thus enlarge the opening formed by the inner face of the grippingmember 38. The pressure of the fork is suflicient to force the ball 46 out of the detent 45 to permit of the movement of the ring. The yoke 2 descends and the pipe-20 passes through the opening! I which with'the slips 31in lifted position is greater than the external diameter of the pipe and any tool joint employed on the pipe 20. The piston rods 61 are then liitedgmoving the collars 4| and Ma downward, causing the slips to move downwardyagainst 'th'e'spring III, in their conical seat until'the gripping surfaces of the slips grip the pipe 26. The gripping pressure may be controlled-by controlling the hydraulic pressure in the jack 65. The ball 46 moves into position in the detent 45 to'liol'dthe ring against accidental 'longitudinal movement.

With slips-'9 'inopen-po'sition,-" the yoke 2 may then be lifted to Withdraw pipe "from the h'ole iintil the screwed joint' to "be broken is above the'slips-9. Back-up tongs are-now'placed below "the joint to be broken andinotortt rotates the gears'ZG and 26a. This causes-a"rotation'of -the slips'31 through'the slides 31 and a rotationof 'the'collars 4| and Ma by means of "the splines "-40'and 42. With the slips in-gripping position,

thepipe 20 is-rotated ina direction to unscrew 'the screw joint between-the-sli'ps 35 and-the "back-up tongs. This 7 breaks the joint. -The p'rotrudingsection 20a GFig. l) of the pipe may then be removed by-lifting the'sleevesll and 41a aidedby-the springs Ii! to'rc-frtractthe slips it'l "as-described above. The spinning head may be "employed to lift another section of pipe and break the joint inthe manner sp'ecified'above.

To add pipe to the drill string,- the portionin position is held by slips '9 with the screw joint to-be made up above the slips a Withshps 13:? in lifted position the pipe is passed through the slips With the joint below --the 1. and the threads engaged. Bak-up tongs -are lplac'ed bel'ow'the joint to-be-madeu-p. The slips sir-are force'd'down by -'means --of the shifting fork =59 to --'cause a gripping-of the pipe by' the mernber 38. The motor Gil-then rotates the slips-through the gears 26 'and 26a to-make up the pipe, The

N slips 9 may then be opened and with 'the slips still in gripping position the yoke 2 may bemoved to' move the pipe into the bore.

In addition to eniploying the' spinning head either as a spinnin'g head'or as a lifting head,

i-t may also be employed to rotate the 'pipe for "drilling of the bore hole.

I-n suehcase, the :pipe section Eta :protruding Fbey'ond the head is=conneeted toa-"conventional mud swivel not shown. With the slips 3] in g'rippi-ng position as described "above and the 'slipsrS open, -theipipe and thedrill rhay be rotaterl and the .lyoke 2 advanced 'to =b0re :the desired 'hole. When the :yoke 'has reached the limit -of "travel toward slips 9, the slips'B are'set -and the mud swivel is removed and-the-drill head is employed as a spinning head to--add;pipe,:-as

of slips slidably mounted in the said conical portion of said cylindro-conical flange, a sleeve slidably mounted in the icylindrical portion of the cylinclfo conicalilangejlink connections between said sleeve and said slips, a driving connection between said slips and said conical portion, a -driving connection between the sleeve and said cylindrical portion, means for rotating said gear, and means for advancing and retracting said sle'evefin said cylindrical portion.

"2."In a drill pip'e rotating device, a ring gear, -acylindro conicakfiange on said gear, a plurality of slips slidably mounted in the said conical portion of said cylindro-conical flange, a sleeve slidably mounted in the cylindrical portion of the cylindro conical flange, link-connections between said sleeve 'andsaid slips-"a driving connection {between said sli s and said =co1iica1 'portion; za driving connection between the sleeve and "said cylindrical portion,"meansfiorrotatingsaidgear, means for advancing and retracting said sleeve in said cylindrical *portion, and means "for locking said slips in 'pipe grippin'g position.

3. In a drill-pipe rotating device, a ring' gear, "a-c'onical flange mounted=on*saidring gear hav ing longitudinal recesses in its interior 'wa'llrsurface, said recesses-receiving and' holdin'g a plurality of pipe-engaging slips forslidable movement therein, said slip beingrotatable with said flange, a'collar carried b'y said flangeflink-connections between saidslips and 'said collarfmeans "for moving saidcollar-to*advance and retract said slips, and means for rotating said gear.

4. Anapparatus cfthe class described 'comprising a case, a gear--d-isposed inthe case,=-a bore'in sai'dgearadaptedto passdrillpip'e *therethrough, pipe-engaging slips disposed in said case,a driving connection betweensaidg'ear and said-slips, said connection including an outwardly divergent guide having recesse's in' itsinteriorwall surface *receivingand holding-said slips;means independentof said gear 5 for moving said slips in =and out e of pipe-gripping 1 position" while maintaining-"said driving connection between -said slips and *said gear, and rneans for moving said case in --eith'er direction axially of saidpipe when said slip's "are in pipe e'ngag'ing"position.

In a drillpipemotatingdevice,-a'ring gearfia conical fiange' mourited on said ring gear, said "flange having in its interior wall surface 'recesses deceiving and holding a I plurality of pipe-engaging slips for 'rotation -therewith -an'd for=rla3tive longitudinaldisplacement, -a collar,'-link connections between said slips and said I collar, means "for moving said collar 'to advance and retract "said slips, and means for rotating said gear.

JAMES MO'GN.

:REFERZENCES 'iGI'I ED The following references arep'frec'ordunf'the file of i this patent:

=UNITED=-STATES PATENTS "Number Name =Date 1 ,555,379 ZMoody -"Sept.'-29,' 1925 1-,-625,540' -Hertzber'g Apr. 19, 1 927 1' 860,06-2 Taylor May =24,* 1"932 *1 91'0;89'0 Fortune '-*Ma'y 2351 933 2,31'7;306 Smith *'Apr. 20, 1943 2,3 2,739 Va'nderzee Q. "June'- 22,' 1 943 2351 1887 Stea'dman June -"20,- 1'944 2,393,603 Beeth Jan; "29{ I946 

